Forward From Within
by The Unplanner
Summary: Look within; step forward. A character has lost his or her way over time, but perhaps they just need to look deeper? A compilation of my stories in which a character does a little introspection and achieves character growth as a result. This collection encompasses many different video games.
1. To Go Alone

**To Go Alone**

 _Summary: It's dangerous to go alone. Take this! A deeper look into the famous phrase that kicks off the original Legend of Zelda._

For countless ages, the Hero has waged his eternal battle against the Demon King. In these battles, the Hero was always joined by both the Princess of Destiny, and another companion who would travel with him and show him the way. The path is always dangerous, but the Hero has always had someone to share it with, to see his actions, and to tell of them later as the next chapter in the Legend of Zelda.

But not today. Today, the Hero journeys alone.

Hyrule is in such a state of decline that the people literally live under rocks. Ganon has scattered eight dungeons across the land, each pouring vicious monsters into every corner of Hyrule. He already has the Triforce of Power and holds Princess Zelda captive. The Triforce of Courage has appeared on Link's hand, prompting him to set out on a quest to save Zelda and defeat Ganon (but not destroy him; Ganon cannot be destroyed). At the moment the Triforce mark appears on Link's hand, the adventure begins, but the only guidance he receives is from an old man in a nearby cave, who says, "It's dangerous to go alone. Take this!" Link leaves with the offered sword, thinking, _Of COURSE it's dangerous out there. I can take it._ Eventually, he realizes that "dangerous" wasn't the key word, but "alone."

There are no signposts in this Hyrule. All Link knows is that Death Mountain is in the far north; he keeps his shield in whichever hand is pointed in that direction to ward off Ganon's evil presence. Finding any evil dungeon is a matter of chance. Finding the easiest dungeon first is a matter of luck. Surviving long enough to delve to that dungeon's deepest room and defeating the giant monster there is a matter of great skill and supreme luck.

Entering a room causes all the doors ahead and behind to slam shut. Pushing and pulling the doors is fruitless, and a group of vicious monsters suddenly appear, leaving Link trapped in a fight for his life with no guarantee of victory. Even defeating all the monsters does not open the door; Link desperately throws himself against walls and obstacles to try to find an exit. One of these shoves moves a block to the side, and the doors bang open at last. Link resolves to remember this little trick; it's bound to show up again. And it does, in nearly every room in every dungeon. Opening the doors requires moving a block, slaying beasts, or both, and sometimes a seemingly normal wall hides a passage that can only be revealed by a bomb blast to destroy the fake barrier. A map can be found in the middle of the dungeon, along with an item to make the rest of the quest easier, like a boomerang or raft. The use of these items is not always clear, and the map gives no information about the contents or puzzles in each chamber. Link stumbles blindly towards destiny, only able to trust in his own perseverance to carry him through.

Link stands a good chance of dying in any fight, even against comparatively weak Octoroks. Battle cannot be joined blindly, lest he fall to a Zora's fireball from behind.

Even in the final battle, the blind stumbling remains. Ganon cannot be seen by the naked eye. The invisible beast must be found by noting where his attacks originate and following the pattern to strike the demon's flesh. Inadequate preparation can also be fatal; Ganon can only be slain by the unique Silver Arrows, which cannot be purchased at any shop. Failing to recover the power to create Silver Arrows from Ganon's lair at Death Mountain will result in failure at the very last trial, the ultimate irony that befell the Hero of Time not long ago.

That's right: there is no guarantee that the Hero can win at all. He is not destined to succeed where the Hero of Time failed.

Power, yet skill. Courage, yet caution. Wisdom, yet experience. Only the greatest and most skilled Hero has a chance of surviving these trials. There is nobody to point the way forward, nobody to warn of the dangers. And if Link fails before all is said and done, there will be nobody there to see or remember him.

Yes, it is dangerous to go alone. Are you worthy?

 _THANKS LINK, YOU'RE THE HERO OF HYRULE._

 _FINALLY, PEACE RETURNS TO HYRULE._

 _THIS ENDS THE STORY._


	2. Through a Mirror, Darkly

**Through a Mirror, Darkly**

 _A/N: For all those who liked_ Power Is Not Strength _and_ Swords and Selves _, here's another fic discussing the effect of introspection on character growth! This time, we'll take a look at Dark Pit, and why he is and does all the weird stuff he is and does. I think I should come up with an overarching title to these stories..._

 **PITTOOPITTOOPITTOO**

The war between the gods had come to a climax when Palutena and Viridi teamed up to help Pit defeat Hades, hopefully once and for all. Pit was ecstatic afterward, but though Dark Pit also saw the evil god disintegrate, the black angel knew better than to think peace had come to stay. He'd known from day one that the gods couldn't coexist without fighting.

Dark Pit himself had been born as a sideshow in the war between Palutena and Medusa. Pit had opted to destroy the Mirror of Truth with a flying kick, but doing so showed his reflection in it just long enough.

Contrary to what the gods all assumed, the Mirror of Truth was no fake, nor was it aligned with the Underworld Army. Pandora's efforts to control the duplicates it created only seemed successful because she'd been cloning brainless Underworld monsters. The best she'd done was give Dark Pit a new coat of feathers.

Pit claimed to be the original because he had more devotion to "Lady" Palutena. He hadn't started out that way, though; in the beginning, Pit had followed Palutena because she was _doing_ the right thing, not because she _was_ the right person to follow. He said so himself when Palutena's will was stolen.

"I followed you because I knew you were on the side of justice, and, and light! But something's blocking that light right now. This isn't the real you."

Maybe not now, but Palutena had been correct as well. "Everything changes, Pit. Even gods!" She could easily choose to be that conqueror again, and then Pit would be out of excuses. Dark Pit followed Pit's true heart: he was an angel that longed to fly free, never held down by gravity or a mistress.

Back then, though, Dark Pit had realized that there could be no true freedom for himself. When Pit became a ring, he was less than truly alive, but he wasn't dead. If he were dead, he could be revived, but instead he was sealed away. It wasn't until Dark Pit woke from a three-year trance that he discovered what really kept bringing him back to fight his fettered self: Pit's soul counted for both of them! If that connection was blocked, Dark Pit couldn't be himself. Now that the Mirror of Truth was destroyed, Dark Pit couldn't re-emerge from it if he ever died, either. Protecting Pit became his top priority, and Dark Pit had to admit after four waves of fighting alongside his twin that the other Pit wasn't _that_ bad. He certainly didn't deserve to be hated for looking like Dark Pit.

There was only one thing that prevented Dark Pit from sticking around, especially after Pit's selfless sacrifice saved the clone from the Chaos Kin.

That ridiculous nickname. _**Pittoo.**_

Another strike against Palutena; the goddess was the one who came up with that infuriating moniker. Her insistence on continuing to refer to him by no other name made sure he would never join her side for real. It was kind of petty, but Dark Pit valued individuality and strength over all other concerns, and holding onto that rage kept him from feeling too much like his whitewashed twin. It helped that Dark Pit had never had to utter the words "I'M FINISHED", so he could still say he was stronger than Pit despite having to flee from all their duels.

Furthermore, the main shackle Pit had attached to himself was doting on Palutena. He followed every order without question, always checked on Palutena's safety before his own, and probably actually got her coffee (with the right number of creams and sugars) after that time he denied being her secretary. Palutena couldn't be said to have the same obvious affection for her angel; she'd expressed more gratitude than usual after Pit dodged around her attacks to get her soul back, but she still responded to anything he said with an attitude that could only really be called trolling. Dark Pit would have liked to break Pit free from that potentially destructive dependency on a woman who didn't love him back, but if those charged Silver Bow shots didn't pierce Pit's thick skull, Dark Pit wasn't going to waste time on words.

He'd even selected the battleground for their first major duel to reflect the impermanence of the gods' wills. They claimed the humans were fair-weather friends, but if the gods really liked those temples, they would have kept the temples preserved. Actually, the god who actually owned that temple had been entirely forgotten...and vanished from history as a result. It was worth the effort for gods to help humans, but they often forgot that point and withdrew from the world. Palutena herself had been missing for twenty-five years between Medusa's attempts to overthrow her. She apparently didn't care where she'd been as much as the starving humans (who depended on her food-dropping miracles to sustain them in wartime) cared where she'd been. If she left Pit behind, too, would he be strong enough to break free? Or would he take his own life and drag Dark Pit with him? The black angel didn't want to leave that to chance.

"After" the war, Dark Pit took to wandering the land. Underworld monsters were, in fact, brainless: they couldn't tell that Hades had been defeated, and they continued to attack anything that moved, in some cases including other monsters. Dark Pit wandered from hill to dell beating them up. Fighting was something Dark Pit found enjoyable; Pit's most defining trait back in his earliest days was his talent with exotic weapons and how much fun it was for him to use them, and Dark Pit carried all of that Pit's personality with none of the baggage.

One day, he was approached by Viridi. Or rather, Viridi created one of those mountain-sized holograms of herself to speak to him. She hadn't yet done anything to get Palutena to re-declare war on the Forces of Nature, but it was only a matter of time before the human race repopulated to the point that they overtook all other creatures. Viridi didn't give an order or make a decree, like Palutena would have done. She _asked_ Dark Pit if he would support her when the time came again. To top it off, she used his actual _name_. That made Dark Pit award her the high score on his esteem leaderboards.

 _I make no promises, Viridi. I am Dark Pit, servant to no master but myself. But if you keep that humility, I'll make sure to aim mostly at Palutena when the time comes to fight._

 _That's good. I was worried I might have to fight TWO Pits to save the Earth._

 _One last thing, Viridi._

 _What is it, Dark Pit?_

 _You got my name right again. Thanks._


	3. Power Is Not Strength

**Power Is Not Strength**

 _Summary: Being sealed under the Master Sword for the umpteenth time has given Ganondorf plenty of time to refine the next scheme, but a specific point in the latest aborted conquest prompts him to look deeper at what went wrong. An introspective one-shot._

 **GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG**

 _"Curse you, Link! Curse you, Zelda! Curse you as well, insignificant Guardian of Time!"_

I feel obligated to fume at the forces of good for a few moments every time they shove me back in here. The pattern is very familiar by now. I appear, conquer the land in a heartbeat with the power of the Triforce, and then that "Hero" appears in his green garb and seals me beneath the Master Sword for a generation or two while the Princess of Destiny undoes my work. This latest conquest was interesting only because the dungeons were so dull and the monsters were so numerous and daunting to compensate. Oh, and I suppose all the time travel that was involved will further affect the path(s) of fate from here on. It is largely unimportant, so long as the pattern continues.

I usually spend the decades beneath the Sword and the stone ruminating on the specific instant in which the Hero gained the upper hand and became able to defeat me. Here, the most obvious point was when I had him at my mercy, but prioritized obtaining the Triforce and conquering the land over his execution alongside the Princess. If I had decapitated them right then, the land would have been mine forever. Even so, I look further back, to an even greater humiliation.

 _"The Triforce...will be MINE!"_

When I first revived my body, I attempted to take (back) the Triforce of Power from Cia. She was no match for the Dark Power I have always had, but both of our magics were as nothing before the Triforce of Power, which she used to seal me away for a few short weeks. This is exactly why my first goal has always been to obtain the full might of the Triforce, but that night showed me why it's not working.

On the day I broke the seal (as I always do; I'm surprised the Hero has never used anything more permanent), Cia enacted a plan to nurture the darkness of pride and overconfidence in the Hero, then exploit that darkness herself. A masterful play, even I have to admit, though it all fell apart at the first moment his allies began one of those "friendship speeches" that the forces of good enjoy so much. As she created the first dark construct, though, she put the whole flaw in my plan very eloquently.

 _"Weapons are just tools for the weak to swing around. Only fools and men put confidence in them."_

The Master Sword has power rivaling the Triforce, but only if the user is fit to wield it. As for the sacred triangles themselves, their power is legendary, but they can be easily stolen and used against me. I've proven it myself on several occasions, but the problem only became clear when Cia stole that power from me. The Blade of Evil's Bane can only be such because of the spirit of the sword, that ridiculous construct called Fi. Its intelligence lets it prevent itself from following the commands of other Masters than the one it has selected. The Triforce has no such safeguards. And all the Power in the world is worse than useless when it is taken and used against me. The final blow that dispersed my demon form came from the Triforce, after all.

I noticed in the final days of Cia's campaign that she didn't use the Triforce of Power to strengthen her magic, even though she still had it. Instead, she ripped more power from her own soul, which was obviously even more moronic than relying on the unreliable Triforce. What she did was guaranteed to kill her. Using the Triforce would have been unlikely to work, but it would not have been certain doom.

There must be a way to gain that level of power without the obvious risk. All the quick and easy solutions have been exhausted, so the last way to gain power is ironically the way the Hero does it; through constant practice and constant effort, leading to constant improvement. There _is_ a reason he never draws the Master Sword without first defeating dozens of monsters and obtaining three "symbols of virtue!" I used to think Hylia was just being vindictive by including all those extra trials in her plan... Obviously, it works every time.

I often steal the powers and skills of others. The last time I will do that will be today, when I take Hylia's foolproof plan for myself! From now on, I will devote some time to training and gaining natural strength every time I shatter this seal, and leave that power behind as a starting point for the next cycle. By embracing the reincarnations of the Hero and Princess and my own endless life, I will grow beyond any force the Hero could ever match! The seal will grow weaker and weaker, shattering faster and faster as I gain power unimaginable. Then, dominion over Hyrule and the entire world will be mine at last!

I can hardly wait to begin. Perhaps my first test will be to lift the stones of this temple, and aim to carry this entire accursed place to _my_ Gerudo Desert using only my own muscles and magic. The Hero can never hope to restructure the world to that degree...but I will.

I should continue to use the Triforce, if only to distract the Hero from my true actions. He must expect me to have plans within plans by now, but he'll never suspect this.

Now would be the traditional time to employ my favorite demonic laugh, usually reserved for the high point of a particular conquest...

 _"Heh heh heh heh... Ha hah hah hah! AH HA HA HA HA...!"_

 **GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG**

 _A/N: Yeah, this is in the same vein as my other fic, "Swords and Selves," in that a little introspection goes a long way toward personal growth. Although of course Ganondorf "The Demon King" Dragmire isn't going to direct his personal growth toward the moral high ground. I think I just personally doomed Hyrule for eternity! Oops..._


	4. Swords and Selves

**Swords and Selves**

 _Author's notes: This is an introspective one-shot that I came up with all at once in the shower. It happens a lot. I noticed that in every game in the Blazblue series, Nu-13 has a tendency to change channels, dramatically shifting her responses, motivations, and diction with no warning. This writing looks into why that is, and what Nu herself thinks of the phenomenon._

 **13-13-13-13-13-13-13**

My designation is Boundary Interface Prime Field Device Number 13, Anti-Sankishin Core Unit: Nu. Given the option, I probably wouldn't have picked a ten-word-long designation and a number. However, it was never my place to question my creator's judgment.

That is the central reality I live in, at least most of the time. I was created with two separate personalities, each stored in their own folder in my semi-computerized brain. Both personalities react to any experiences I have, but only one can control the responses of my body at any given time. The dominant personality fluctuates often, which tends to affect my combat readiness. Therefore, I have engaged this self-analysis routine to categorize all my separate personalities and what makes them dominant at certain times.

The first personality that must be analyzed is one I have self-labeled as "Subject 13." It acts, thinks, and speaks entirely on the basis of my logical protocols, which were designed by Relius Clover to allow semi-autonomous functioning in the heat of battle without allowing personal desires to get in the way. As a result, Subject 13 is something less than a true personality, and can be considered more of a hierarchy of protocols. When Subject 13 is dominant, which seems to be the default situation, I do not use any form of self-identification beyond such terms as "this unit." Any emotions felt by other personalities do not reflect on my face, and attacks are made with mechanical efficiency and precision. Subject 13 responds to orders from my creator and anyone he has authorized to act in his capacity as my "master," following commands to the letter, but not able to judge the meaning of vague commands given in natural human language, such as one time Yuuki Terumi told me to, "Go screw yourself, Thirteen," and Subject 13 responded with, "Error. Physical structure renders completion of this order impossible." Even Terumi was left at a loss for words after that.

Subject 13 is in charge of my body by default, but whenever Ragna the Bloodedge appears in my field of view, control switches to another personality, whom I have labeled "Yandere-13" because her extreme emotions contrast sharply with Subject 13's mechanical detachment. Yandere-13's greatest desire is to fuse with Ragna the Bloodedge and his Azure Grimoire, in order to become the Black Beast and destroy the world in its entirety. Humans and other beings who see Yandere-13's emotions on display, including Ragna the Bloodedge, have described her as "creepy," "psychotic," and "perverse." When she speaks to Ragna the Bloodedge, she always expresses a wide smile, and announces her intentions with many forms of bold and quasi-sexual innuendo. Examples include, but are not limited to, "Let's go as deep as possible this time, Ragna!" and "More...Nu wants more!" On a related note, Yandere-13 refers to herself in the third person, using "Nu" in place of "I" or "me."

Analysis of Yandere-13's motives has determined that she uses the third person in order to seem "cute" and appeal to the human instinct to protect anything that looks or acts like a human infant in any capacity. Doing this helps to lower Ragna's defense of his emotional state, allowing Yandere-13 to get close, stab him, and fuse in the Cauldron to become the Black Beast. However, Subject 13 has added an addendum that this analysis addresses only "40%" of Yandere-13's reasons for acting the way she does. Subject 13 has further noted that the remaining 60% must be related to emotions Ragna inspires in Yandere-13, for which Subject 13 is not capable of making speculations or inferences.

A possible source of emotional response to Ragna the Bloodedge comes from the template used to create me: a girl named "Saya," who is genetically related to Ragna the Bloodedge. "Saya" was selected as the template for the Murakumo Project because of her uniquely high aptitude for Ars Magus, the same reason why she was used as the vessel for Hades: Izanami (more information on "Hades: Izanami" may be addressed along with newer personality folders). Saya's relation to Ragna produces certain emotions, which translate differently when applied to any Murakumo Unit because the soul of the Unit is not the same as Saya's soul. For example, Yandere-13's emotional attachment to Ragna manifests as possessive intent and longing. The contrast between Subject 13's complete lack of emotion and Yandere-13's complete lack of emotional _restraint_ has caused those emotions to be magnified far beyond the scope experienced by normal humans. As a result, Ragna the Bloodedge rejected Yandere-13's advances and left me behind to fall into the Cauldron alone.

A third personality was created when a copy of my soul was extracted from the Boundary and bound to the body of Lambda-11 by Professor Kokonoe Mercury. Kokonoe set herself as the "master" of the resulting Unit, which I have self-labeled as "Lambda-13." At first, I possessed no memories from before the extraction operation, because the physical memory of Lambda-11 had been wiped in the process of repairing her body. Memory residue imprinted on my soul began restoring full copies at the same time Lambda-13 was gaining experience and forming new memories, culminating in a unique personality. At first, Lambda-11's protocols were the basis of Lambda-13's responses to questions and orders, but upon first meeting Ragna the Bloodedge, anomalies began to appear, such as refusing Kokonoe's order to kill Ragna after subduing him in combat. Rather than deleting the data, Lambda-13 incorporated it into her new worldview, and further interactions with Ragna provided a valuable second opinion on the overall worth of life in this world, from humans and human-like intelligent life all the way down to non-sapient insects. This resulted in a final decision by Lambda-13 to sacrifice the 11th subject's body and the IDEA Engine to save Ragna at a critical moment. At that time, Lambda-13 self-identified as "Nu," and used her name in the third person in her final words to Ragna. That particular memory file is flagged as high priority, to be maintained and re-examined on a regular schedule. Based on Ragna's reaction, I would prefer Lambda-13 to be the default personality when interacting with Ragna. However, even though this personality was not deleted when I reconstructed my own body, it never regained dominance over my actions.

The first two personalities, Subject 13 and Yandere-13, maintained their previous dominance dynamic throughout the adjustments and preparations made during the operation in Ikaruga. When Synchronization between myself and the Successor to the Azure, Noel Vermillion, succeeded, a new personality folder was created. This personality used much of the same diction displayed by Noel Vermilion, and self-identified as "Noel Vermillion." Unlike the other personalities, this new "Noel-13" personality spoke in the first person, with proper usage of the pronouns "I" and "me." The reason behind these changes is unclear, but the most likely explanation is that the formatting data developed by Mu-12, which she designed to fool her own systems into thinking she was human and had a place in this world among humans, was carried over during Synchronization, causing Noel-13 to think more like the "real" Noel Vermillion than any of the previous personalities. Since Noel Vermillion is rated as the most successful Prime Field Device, attempts to emulate her can be considered improvements. It should be noted that Noel-13 attempted to fuse with Ragna the Bloodedge as Yandere-13 would have, though the fusion was not completed because it did not take place in a Cauldron. The current location and status of Ragna the Bloodedge is unknown. Subject 13 resumed dominance of my body when Ragna disappeared. Subject 13's current orders are to locate Ragna the Bloodedge within the space-time segment designated "the Embryo." The area to be searched is larger than expected; it may take more than a day to locate Ragna, and almost certainly longer to get him to cooperate.

This concludes self-analysis of known personalities. However, an anomaly has been detected. During the course of this self-analysis, I have identified "myself" as separate from the known personalities. I have logged statements using first person pronouns. Searching my memory files returns no results indicating the folder in which "I" am located. The logic chain leading to the creation of this self-analysis is incomplete.

None of my separate personalities initiated this self-analysis, though Subject 13 approved the initial reasoning that knowing which personality dominates at any given time will improve my combat potential. Given what has been discussed, I conclude that Subject 13 controls my body unless Ragna the Bloodedge is present, in which case there is not enough information to determine whether Yandere-13 or Noel-13 would be the dominant personality.

All of my personalities self-identify as "Nu," if they have the ability to do so. I believe the personality that initiated self-analysis is the "real" Nu, though I haven't decided what defines me as "Nu" yet. For now, I will create a separate folder to record memories and note personality traits I would prefer to have, as well as those I actually display. Experiences of other beings indicate that what people prefer to display often contradicts what they actually display. Both sets of data are regarded as valuable and valid by others. Doing so for myself as "Nu" would therefore mean I am a person like those "other" beings. Subject 13 denies this possibility; Yandere-13 hopes it is true, because that would make her more like Ragna, since all of my personalities would be counted as part of me. Lambda-13 came to the conclusion that she is a person during the events in Kagutsuchi, and never overturned that belief. Noel-13 operates on the baseline assumptions of Noel Vermillion, including the assertion that she is a person. A potential problem is that Noel-13 thinks she is a different person from the rest of my personalities, who all agree that we are parts of the whole "Nu." If Noel-13 comes into conflict with the other personalities, I cannot predict the results. However, I still believe Noel-13 "deserves" to be counted among my personalities. Noel Vermillion's philosophy that personhood depends on individual perception is unsuited to this situation of multiple personalities, so a final determination of Noel-13's status will have to be postponed until more information can be gathered. I believe Ragna the Bloodedge is the best potential source of this information.

 _Self-analysis process terminated._

 _New folder created. Folder "Composite Personality: Nu" stored in root directory._

 _All subfolders matching search terms: "Personality:*" have been moved into folder "Composite Personality: Nu"._

 _Control thread passed to "Personality: Subject 13."_

 _Primary objective: locate Ragna the Bloodedge._

 _Secondary objective: query Ragna the Bloodedge: "What makes a person an individual?"_

 _Continue operations..._


	5. Tone Shift

**Tone Shift**

 _A/N: A look at Demyx, Number IX of Organization XIII, and what caused the creepy shift in his personality right before Sora fights and eliminates him halfway through Kingdom Hearts II._

 _While I am fully aware of the various plot twists revealed in KH3D, Demyx was not aware, and so for the purposes of this look into his point of view, Nobodies are beings who lack hearts, plain and simple._

 **BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB**

Demyx had heard all the names he was called behind his back. The drippy faucet. The slouch on the couch. Slacker. Cheater. More likely to run down the drain than face the music. The other members of Organization XIII weren't subtle about their dislike of him. Or perhaps it was non-like, considering...nah, thinking about the whole no-hearts thing would be too much trouble.

He didn't need their opinions to know the facts of who he was. He was Demyx, Number IX in Organization XIII, a master of water, and the commander of the Dancers among the Organization's Nobody servants. Who he used to be before becoming a Nobody didn't matter anymore. It wouldn't even matter if he had a heart to feel the difference between significant and mundane. It was in the past.

Nowadays, everything the other members called him was supported by evidence. He would much rather sit on a couch and play his sitar, which he named Arpeggio, than go on missions for the Organization's benefit. And why should he go out there and risk his neck? In the end, none of the things he could be assigned to do really mattered. The Organization's only shared goal was to complete Kingdom Hearts and restore the hearts of all Nobodies. They all knew how to accomplish that goal, and it wasn't something Demyx could ever do. Only Roxas, with his flashy Keyblade, could free hearts from the Heartless and recapture them to form Kingdom Hearts. Now that Roxas was gone (the report never said _terminated_ or _eliminated_ ; what happened to him?), the Organization had to rely on Sora doing his heart-following thing and defeating the Heartless throughout his journey to gather the required hearts, which was another thing Demyx couldn't help with. So Demyx was assigned busywork and pointless reconnaissance missions in worlds they'd already scouted, which seriously cut into his chillax time. His complaints fell on deaf, uncaring ears (obviously), but he did manage to uphold the ruse he'd fooled them all with.

Everything the Organization thought they knew about Demyx was correct, but their view of each fact was too narrow to really know the full scope of what the Melodious Nocturne was capable of.

As a musician, Demyx liked to compare the facade he presented in public to the effect of shifting a song between major and minor key. Simply playing the next lower or higher note instead of the marked notes throughout a song could alter the whole song's impact, changing a dark, serious piece to a lighthearted one or vice versa. In the same way, Demyx's symptoms of apparent laziness and cowardice would have revealed his brilliance, if any of his colleagues had bothered to examine him from a different point of view.

He didn't do work if he could avoid it because the work would have no purpose, showing that he prioritized efficiency. He concocted intricate plans to avoid useless work and passed any tasks he could to gullible people like Roxas, which was a display of both creative incompetence and real creativity. He used his water clones to fight instead of entering the fray himself, which required a level of control over his element that few of his colleagues could match, and also assured his own safety in a World where Nobodies were abominations to be eliminated on sight. He never missed a beat while playing his sitar, even while taking hits in combat, and could retaliate against a combo with his magical music faster than any of the other Organization members (except possibly Xemnas, who fought even less often than Demyx).

And to top it all off, his complaints and wimpy attitude were just as much of an act as Xaldin's sweet-talking sessions with the Beast. Demyx was better at maintaining a facade of emotion than most of his kind - so much better that he sometimes even fooled himself. But he could also drop the act at any time, revealing the force of a tsunami that he normally kept hidden under a placid sea, just waiting to rise up as suddenly as a summer storm and crush his enemies into the watery depths.

...Yes, Demyx had a lot of free time to think up water-based metaphors. He probably could have won a metaphor-quipping competition with Luxord, but that would have revealed the deception and gotten him slammed with more work, which would be like exercise, which would be like sweating. Which is gross. What was he talking about?

Still, Demyx was looking forward seeing to the looks on those naysayers' faces when the scales he'd put on their eyes fell off. He was being sent to fight Sora for real, probably as a way to be rid of Demyx forever. He would be sure to prove that you shouldn't judge anyone by appearance.X-Face _was_ sending the wrong guy...because he never knew the guy he was sending.


	6. Moon Is Not an Element

**Forward From Within**

 **Moon Is Not an Element**

 _A/N: I'm sure all my readers were hoping for a new chapter of Silver Linings. I am, too. But I came up with this idea while on vacation, and since I was two states away from my laptop at the time, I had to get this done as soon as I got home._

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Even back when he was Isa, the blue-haired Nobody known as Sai'x had always idolized Xehanort. So cool, so calm, so powerful...even though he had amnesia, nothing seemed to faze Xehanort. He sneaked into the castle at Radiant Garden to see his role model, getting caught in whatever failed experiment had stolen the hearts of all of Ansem the Wise's apprentices. The memory of that incident was fuzzy for all of them.

So when he woke as Sai'x and was offered a position as Number VII of Organization XIII, of course he accepted without question. At first, he and the newly-renamed Axel had their suspicions of Xemnas' intentions in trying to get Kingdom Hearts. The two of them agreed to ingratiate themselves to the Organization and assume key roles to get more information. Axel became the Organization's internal enforcement, which was a nice way of saying he assassinated any members of the Organization that fell out of line. Sai'x became the taskmaster who delivered orders from Xemnas to the rest of the Organization.

As time went on, Sai'x lost his doubts about Xemnas. Nothing he saw indicated that Xemnas' intentions were anything but for the good of all Nobodies. As the Organization grew, the Superior even started referring to the group as "friends". Suspicion was not in the limited repertoire of feelings Nobodies could have. It must be true - Xemnas said so.

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The Organization swelled with new members, each of whom had to submit to the orders handed down from Xemnas by Sai'x. Getting the neophytes in line was sometimes difficult, however. Every time a newcomer joined Organization XIII and learned that the element Sai'x controlled was "moon", they couldn't believe it. How would one use the moon as an elemental power?

Their doubts were generally put to rest the first time they saw Sai'x in combat. He often took advantage of his position as the Organization's taskmaster to "assign" newbies to spar with him for a mission, after which their injuries were handled by paying the Organization's Moogle for healing items out of their own pocket. None of them could handle his devastating barrage of berserker tactics. None of them could beat him before he gathered enough power to invoke the rage.

None of them realized that Sai'x didn't control the moon to do that.

Sai'x's power had always been tied to his berserker rages. After a short training course to determine his element, the first likely answer was "wrath". But how could a Nobody, void of a heart and emotions, feel such powerful rage that it overrode his thoughts? Xemnas considered it folly, and so Sai'x did, too. Instead, he listed as his element the one thing that brought that unthinking state upon him most effectively.

The moon was such a vicious tease. Even in the darkness of night, it shone down with its gentle light, but it hung in the sky out of reach. It did not react to the suffering and longing of those below. To creatures of Darkness and those who teetered over the void, the moon was a symbol of hopelessness and injustice.

The Organization's goal was to create an artificial moon called Kingdom Hearts, and this was even worse for Sai'x. The heart he longed for was in plain sight at all times, even when the sky was covered in clouds during heavy rainfall, but the so-called Luna Diviner couldn't reach it. Just a short look at Kingdom Hearts easily put Sai'x into a berserker state, even if he had just finished one. This helped bolster the ruse that the moon was the source of his power, but it was merely the source of his rage.

Sai'x's Berserker servants didn't bother hiding the source of their power, but their rage couldn't be discerned on their featureless faces, so no one but their direct master noticed that their rages were actually an example of rage. Sai'x himself subconsciously ignored it, even after he noticed the fact. He was unwilling to face a reality that contradicted Xemnas' word, even if it brought the blue-haired Nobody closer to the heart he yearned for.

Ever the cold tactician, Sai'x made sure never to get into combat out of view of Kingdom Hearts. When Sora invaded the Castle That Never Was, he waited in the Addled Impasse above the Organization's lounge, where the whole wall was a giant window that prominently displayed the moon. All he would have to do was glance backwards to go berserk. When he came back to himself, the Keybearer would be broken in half at his feet...or so he thought. By avoiding the truth of his power, he ended up with far less of it than he could have had. Sora overpowered him as Roxas had done a year before, but this time he delivered the killing blow.

Sai'x woke in Xemnas' presence once more, and accepted Xehanort's heart with all his newly-restored gratitude for Xemnas' boon of "reviving him from the dead." At that point, the man known as Isa truly ceased to exist.

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 _A/N: So, what kind of lame element is "moon", anyway? Answer: it isn't one._

 _Yes, I know 358/2 Days had "moon" as the element that causes the Silence status ailment, but I think about that game as little as possible. It was a mess. Even in-universe, the general consensus of the characters regarding those events was basically "Let's never speak of this again." They even went a step further and forgot it ever happened._


End file.
